The biggest undercover in Liaoshen campaign： the mystery of Wei Lihuang’s pro-communism [Figure]

In 1938, Wei Lihuang took a photo with Mao Zedong when he visited Yan ‘an.

Wei Lihuang

　　Wei Lihuang was Sun Yat-sen’s guardian, Chiang Kai-shek’s "General of the Five Tigers", and Mao Zedong’s friend. He was once a "war criminal" wanted by the Chinese Communist Party, and was later appointed as the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission of People’s Republic of China (PRC) … Throughout his life, Wei Lihuang was like a riddle. To solve this mystery, we must start from the historical origin of Wei Lihuang and communist party …

　　"Communist Suppression" Encountered "Xi ‘an Incident"

　　Wei Lihuang, whose name is Junru, was born in Hefei in 1897. His grandparents were poor peasants. In Wuchang Uprising in 1911, Wei Lihuang, who was under the age of 15, was drafted into the new army. After the Great Revolution was frustrated, he turned to Wuhan, joined the Xiang Army and became a professional soldier. Later, introduced by democratic revolutionaries, he went to Shanghai to join Sun Yat-sen’s crusade against Yuan Shikai and became Sun Yat-sen’s guardian. During the Northern Expedition, Wei Lihuang repeatedly made meritorious military service and became the youngest "small battalion commander".

　　Wei Lihuang, a warrior, fought against the Red Army many times. The "communist suppression" gave him "honor" and also gave him regret. In 1926, Wei Lihuang became a teacher, but because he was not born in Zhejiang and did not belong to Huangpu, it was difficult to gain the trust of Chiang Kai-shek, and he was just a "miscellaneous brand" in Chiang Kai-shek’s clique, and the two men had a lot of bad feelings. Despite his outstanding military exploits, Wei Lihuang, together with Liu Zhi, Gu Zhutong, Jiang Dingwen and Chen Cheng, was called Chiang Kai-shek’s "General of the Five Tigers", but he didn’t get a powerful official.

　　Before the "Xi ‘an Incident", Chiang Kai-shek appointed Wei Lihuang as "Commander-in-Chief of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region" and once again served as a tool for "encirclement and suppression" of the Red Army. However, the shooting of the "Xi ‘an Incident" made them prisoners. At that time, forty or fifty people, including the family members of the Nanjing government in Wei Lihuang, were imprisoned in the Xijing Guest House.

　　Wei Lihuang knew that he was famous for his "anti-communism" and would die. However, the "Xi ‘an Incident" was resolved peacefully, and communist party let bygones be bygones. In this regard, Wei Lihuang was filled with emotion and embarked on a new starting point in life.

　　Tie the knot at the top of the CPC

　　On August 25th, 1937, the Red Army was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and a month later, it was renamed as the 18th Army, which was subordinate to the Second World War Zone sequence under the command of Commander Yan Xishan and Deputy Commander Wei Lihuang. Facing the complicated situation, Yen Hsi-shan handed over the operational command to former enemy commander-in-chief Wei Lihuang. In this way, Wei Lihuang became the nominal "boss" of the Eighth Route Army.

　　After the Battle of Xinkou in 1939, Wei Lihuang met Zhou Enlai three times. On the eve of the founding of New China, Wei Lihuang fled to Hong Kong for seclusion. Zhou Enlai wrote: "The friends you met in Taiyuan welcome you back." After receiving this letter, Wei Lihuang got the message, and soon went on a trip.

　　During the Anti-Japanese War, Wei Lihuang also met with Commander-in-Chief Zhu De for three times and met with Liu Shaoqi. In April 1938, Wei Lihuang was invited by Mao Zedong to visit Yan ‘an for three days. Mao Zedong hosted a luncheon. During the dinner, Mao Zedong made an exception for drinking, and they left eight photos. Wei Lihuang regarded his photo with Mao Zedong and other communist party people as a treasure, and took it with him for a long time. It was not until he was detained by Chiang Kai-shek in Guangzhou that he had to destroy it.

　　After the trip to Yan ‘an, Wei Lihuang recruited progressive students sent by communist party, and even his personal secretary chose communist party people. Later, he even asked about his participation in communist party through reliable sources. I! V; W1 q% Y3 h0 _

　　Wei Lihuang, however, all this, but Chiang Kai-shek’s eyes and ears. A liaison officer of Major General Senior Staff told on Wei Lihuang that he was suspected of being "pro-Communist". Jiang sent people to investigate, although there was no definite evidence, but he still had doubts. Jiang said to people, "Wei can fight, but he doesn’t understand politics."

　　In May, 1941, Chiang Kai-shek excused Wei Lihuang, then commander of the First Theater, from his post as chairman of the Henan provincial government, and removed him from the rank of general, so that he could be paid to support his mother in Chengdu. At this time, Zhou Enlai said to Wei Lihuang, "You are tired by us." For Wei Lihuang, the greatest comfort is this.

　　Secret telegram to the Communist Party of China during inspection in Europe and America

　　In the autumn of 1943, Chiang Kai-shek invited Wei Lihuang to Chongqing, restored his rank as a general and appointed him as the commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. In May 1944, Wei Lihuang commanded the Chinese Expeditionary Force to counterattack. Wei Lihuang visited the front line in person, and his scene was photographed by American army reporters and published in the American Time Magazine, which made him famous.

　　After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Wei Lihuang was once again idle by Chiang Kai-shek, who was bent on civil war and paid for his study abroad. Before the trip, Wei Lihuang arranged for Kibaki to make a fresh start for the future, and took the opportunity of going abroad to contact the Communist Party of China (CPC) through overseas relatives.

　　In November 1946, Wei Lihuang and his party, consisting of four people, set out from Shanghai and went to the United States via Japan. In the spring of 1947, Wei Lihuang left the United States for Europe. When I first arrived in England, my wife Han Quanhua sent a letter to my nephew Wang Dezhao in France. Wang is a progressive student leader in China, who has secret contact with the Communist Party of China (CPC). After arriving in Paris, Wei Mi made an appointment with Wang Dezhao and cut to the chase as soon as they met, asking him to contact the Communist Party of China (CPC) as soon as possible.

　　Wei and Wang met each other late. Wei Lihuang wrote a telegram to the Communist Party of China (CPC), the main content of which is: I intend to end the civil war as soon as possible, and I am determined to stand on the side of the people and cooperate with "relevant parties". In view of the current sinister environment, I hope to keep it absolutely secret. Soon Wang Dezhao told Wei Lihuang that the telegram had passed through a certain country and turned to "relevant parties". The other party hoped that Wei Lihuang would choose the right time and do something beneficial to the revolution.

　　Secretly help the battle between Liaoning and Shenyang

　　As Wei Lihuang expected, in October 1947, Chiang Kai-shek urged Wei Lihuang to return home. Wei Lihuang to shenyang, namely received Wang Dezhao cables from Paris-"previous telegram in Paris, has reached its destination. The other party has a reply, saying that it can use the current situation to act. "

　　Wei Lihuang took up the important post of "suppression general", but he did not revolt, which has always been a historical mystery. Only people who know the inside story know that it is difficult for Wei Lihuang to fully mobilize troops, even the guards around him are difficult to command, and Wei Lihuang’s important move is always tipped off by spies to Jiang. Therefore, Wei Lihuang to the northeast, in addition to the request to send reinforcements, can only stay put, deliberately delay the fighter.

　　On October 2, 1948, Chiang Kai-shek flew to Shenyang, summoned officers above division level to lecture, and cursed the northeast generals for passively avoiding war. Chiang Kai-shek also put aside Wei Lihuang, personally command. At this point, the enemy trapped in Jinzhou was anxious for help from Shenyang, but Wei Lihuang remained on hold. On October 14th, the People’s Liberation Army conquered Jinzhou, and more than 100,000 people under the Kuomintang enemy’s defensive line Fan Hanjie were captured. Since then, Changchun’s enemy troops on the defensive have rapidly disintegrated.

　　On December 25th, 1948, the Communist Party of China announced 43 war criminals of the Kuomintang, with Chiang Kai-shek at the top of the list and Wei Lihuang ranked 13th. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party has gone to great lengths to protect Wei Lihuang, otherwise it will aggravate Wei Lihuang’s suspicion of "communicating with the Communist Party". Because of this, Wei Lihuang escaped being killed and was placed under house arrest by Chiang Kai-shek. After escaping from the clutches, he passed through Shanghai, and Wei Lihuang arrived in Hong Kong on a British ship. This sinister journey made him another legend.　

Editor: Li Yongchao